Heart and Soul
by a-few-of-these-verses
Summary: Up takes care of Taz in their elderly years.
1. Chapter 1

It was a cold morning. Up woke up to hear the wind howling by the window. It was a strong contrast to the faint breathing next to him. Taz, his wife for the last forty years, was beautiful. Others might have disagreed with him, but he would still fight for her, no matter what his age was.

Up quietly walked out of their room and went to the kitchen. He poured water into the tea kettle and let it boil. Their pills for the day were in separate containers, and he put his wife's in a bowl on the table. Up looked at his own as he poured two glasses of water. Five little pills, different shapes and colors, kept him moving. He wondered what would happen if he didn't take his pills. While his muscles may weaken, the robot in him would still carry on, wouldn't it?

Up heard a small whimper just as the tea whistled. Sprinkles, a small K9DX, was looking at him with her big eyes.

"Alright, alright," Up said with a smile, "I'll take you outside."

Up held the door open wide, letting in the cold air. Sprinkles, looking frozen, ran right back inside. _Silly pup_, he thought, rubbing the dog's stomach.

"Do you want to get Mama up?" he asked. Sprinkles twirled around and ran towards the bedroom, putting her paws on the door.

Up opened the door and walked to the still-sleeping Taz.

"Taz," he said, "Taz, honey. It's time to get up."

His wife stayed fast asleep.

"Taz. C'mon, Taz, it's 7:30. Time for breakfast."

Taz slowly opened her eyes and groggily looked around.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"We're at home, honey."

"I can't hear…"

"We're at home," Up said, a little louder.

"We're at home?"

"We're home," Up repeated with a sad smile. "Let's get ready for the day, dear."

Up helped Taz change out of her night clothes into a shirt and pants. Sprinkles put her paws on the bed and whined.

"Hola Sprinkles!" Taz said, petting the spaniel before standing up slowly.

"Hold on!" Up grabbed Taz's walker and put it in front of her. "Now we can go."

They slowly walked into the kitchen, and Up held out Taz's chair for her. "Time to take your pills, Taz."

"What are those?" she asked, pointing at the pills and capsules.

"Those are your pills, Taz."

"They are?"

"Si," he replied, giving Taz her water. "We have to take these before you eat, so the sooner you take them, the sooner you can eat."

With some difficulty, Up helped Taz with her pills. He handed her a bowl of cereal and her tea, and they ate in silence, interrupted by the occasional yawn from Sprinkles. It was how they had eaten breakfast for the past three years.

Taz was falling asleep with her finger in her mug. She had pulled the tea onto herself before, and Up didn't want that to happen again.

"Taz, honey," Up said, waking his wife. "We need to take your walk before you go back to sleep, okay?"

"Okay," Taz mumbled. Again, Up helped her stand, and she shuffled from one side of the house to the other before stopping by her chair next to the fireplace. Up covered her with a blanket and kissed her forehead.

The days were quiet now. They had been retired for years, and it seemed like their fighting days had finally caught up to them. Up's limp was a bit more pronounced, and Taz… he didn't know where to start with her problems. Her hearing was shot, and though hearing aids had worked for a time, she was now practically deaf in her left ear. She had been diagnosed with diabetes, so it was now an obstacle to get her blood sugar at a steady rate. Taz's health certainly took a downturn after a long battle with pneumonia.

And then there was the dementia.


	2. Chapter 2

Up washed the dishes to the tune of the radio. He didn't care for the newer music, (Trash was the better word for it), so he was listening to an oldies station. All of the hits from the past sixty to twenty years played on it, and Up loved to sing along. That was the funny thing about being retired: no one cared what you did any more. Up was allowed to sing along to anything that he wanted nowadays.

__"Oh! but your lips were thrilling, much too thrilling___  
>Never<em>__ before were mine so strangely willing___  
>But<em>__ now I see, what one embrace can do___  
>Look<em>__ at me, it's got me loving you madly___  
><em>__That little kiss you stole___  
><em>__Held all my heart and soul."__

They had danced to the Barge Busters rendition of this song at their wedding. It was one of the happiest moments of his life. Yet Taz wasn't a bit less beautiful then than she was now. She was even more beautiful every day, whether it was when she glowed during their only pregnancy (a miracle thanks to the modern technology), when she held one of their adopted children for the first time, when she fought in battle, laughed, slept, breathed. Taz was gorgeous. It just wasn't fair what was happening to her.

Up sat down and sipped his tea. The dementia poked its ugly head into their lives three years ago. At first, it was the little things. Taz would ask where she put various items. Then it became more noticeable. She'd ask the same question multiple times in a conversation. The pneumonia didn't help. Taz became more confused. Up woke up in the middle of the night to find Taz standing by the closet looking through the hangers.

_"What are you doing, dear?" _he had asked.

_"I'm trying to find my uniform," _she replied in a manner-of-fact tone.

_"Uniform?"_

_"We need to go to work."_

Up felt helpless watching his wife sink further and further into a dark and puzzling hole. His own health wasn't any better. When surgery was needed two months earlier, Up had to leave Taz at a nursing home on a nearby Starship while he recovered. From what the nurses told him, she was very confused, but kept quiet. After they returned home, Taz began to wet the bed. Up washed her, changed her, fed her, anything that she needed, he would do. Two of their children expressed their beliefs that he was too old to take care of her, and that they should consider moving into assisted living. Up didn't want to take that risk. Taz needed to stay in a familiar place. She had to stay home.

Up began to slice potatoes for lunch. Why he remained in almost perfect health was the unanswered question. He had lived longer than she had, lived a harder life than she had, heck, he had lost half of his body. It wasn't fair that Taz, who was younger, sweeter, just a better person, should suffer.

The doorbell rang just as Up put the potatoes on the stove. Sprinkles, being young, fast, and the advantage of having four legs, ran to the door and barked. Krayonder, February, and Mega-Girl smiled at Up as he opened the door. Out of the little group of friends, Taz and Up were the only couple left intact.

"Hi, Up!" February gave him a big hug. She was still the same February, right down to the blonde hair that she religiously died. Bug had passed away after fighting an insect disease four years ago, but February had made her peace. "What's for lunch?"

"Ham sandwiches with fried potatoes", Up said as he welcomed his friends through the door. "Mega-Girl, how are you?"

"Practically the same," she replied. Tootsie shouldn't have died so soon. It was soon after Taz gave birth to Fred when an anti-Robot group gained a little popularity. Some of the men tried to shoot Mega-Girl in public, but Tootsie stepped into the lasers. Mega-Girl downloaded the emotion of sadness soon after, but knew that Tootsie wouldn't want her to be in pain. She spent her time as live-in nanny for her friends, and then later went to work as an ambassador of peace to warring planets. "Some of my wires are now short-circuiting. You must have the same problem."

"I got that problem fixed a couple of weeks ago," Up answered, holding out his arm to Krayonder. He took it silently. Specs had only just died a month ago, and the life in Krayonder had gone away. Specs had been his joy, and when she passed in her sleep two months ago, his soul seemed to die too. "You okay, Krayonder?"

"Well, you know I've been better," he whispered. "She's always going to be with me in here-" Krayonder pointed to his heart- "But I just want to hold her again, man. February's offered to move in-"

"An offer that I think you should take," February cut in. "I've been a little lonely, and I know that you can't cook. Mega-Girl could move in too! It'd be like a never-ending party!"

"Krayonder, I think you should listen to February," Up said as his friends sat down at the table. He flipped the potatoes over, the scent of the oil now traveled the kitchen.

"Of course he should!" February smiled. After all these years, she was still bubbly. "How's Tazzy?"

"You know, it depends on the day," replied Up, now making the sandwiches.

"Let me help you with those. As you know, I do not need to rest." Mega-Girl was now slicing cheese. After a slight argument, Up found himself at the table with his two human friends.

"As I was saying," Up said, "It depends on the day. She sleeps a lot, and doesn't eat much. She's got to keep her blood sugar up, so sometimes I give her a piece of bread to eat before bed."

"And you're okay?" February asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The kids and grand-kids visit quite often, and my daughter Shann takes me out grocery shopping once a week, while her son watches Taz. It's the only time that I leave the house."

"Lunch will be ready soon," Mega-Girl cut in.

"If y'all will excuse me," Up said as he stood, "I'll go wake Taz up now."

Taz was fast asleep in her chair, Sprinkles curled up at her feet. "Honey," Up said as he shook her shoulder lightly. "It's time for lunch."

Taz's eyelids slowly fluttered open. She had a confused look in her brown eyes.

_"¿Dónde está mi padre?"_


	3. Chapter 3

_"¿Dónde está mi padre?"_

Taz's question was only answered with silence. There were moments that she forgot how to speak English, another one of dementia's evil tricks. Up struggled to find the Spanish words, though he knew that they would come to him eventually; forty years of marriage had helped him become a little bilingual.

_"¿Su padre?"_ he asked, still unsure of what his wife wanted to hear.

_"¿Dónde está mi padre?"_ Taz's eyes pleaded with him.

_"Taz, que falleció hace años,"_ Up answered.

_"¿Qué?"_

_"Él está muerto desde hace años," _he explained, hoping that Taz would remember again.

"My father is dead?" While Up was relieved that she was speaking English again, he wasn't sure if he could get her to remember.

"Yes, Taz. He's been gone for a long time."

"When did he pass away?"

"It was years ago, Taz," Up held her hands, praying that she would remember. "At your quinceañera. Dear… You remember, it's in your brain somewhere."

Taz just looked at him, her brown eyes that once held so much fire were now smoky. There was no response. Up kissed her forehead and helped her stand.

"C'mon, love, lunch is ready."

Taz slowly shuffled into the kitchen, Sprinkles leading the way. Mega-Girl had set the table, lunch was served on the plates, and coffee was brewing.

"Hi Tazzy!" February, despite being 75, was still bubbly. Krayonder's hearing aid squeaked at her high pitched squeal.

"¡Hola!" Taz replied, waving as she sat down.

Up helped Taz take her pills, and put an apron around her. "Y'all could have started eating," he said sheepishly as his friends waited for him to sit down again.

"That wouldn't be polite," February replied. "We were right to wait for the host."

"What do you know?" Taz asked February.

"Not too much!" The blonde answered loudly. "I like your shirt! It looks great on you!"

Taz nodded and looked at her food. She remained silent for most of the meal. Up looked at her plate; she hadn't touched her food.

"Taz, dear. You need to eat."

Another nod. Up stood up and helped Taz eat. This was normal. Because she slept most of the day, she wasn't active, and didn't acquire an appetite. If she didn't eat though, her blood sugar would drop, and she could slip into a coma.

Taz took the fork for herself, and began to eat the potatoes.

"You know, she only likes her potatoes fried anymore," Up explained, sitting back down.

"Up, if I may present an idea," Mega-Girl said, clearing Krayonder's plate from the table. "I could help around the house if you like. It would take stress away from you."

"Mega-Girl, I couldn't let you do that," Up replied.

"And why not, I am perfectly capable of chores, and I do not tire."

Up looked at Taz, who had fallen asleep again, her plate almost empty, her finger in the handle of her mug. "Maybe once a week-"

"Oooooh," February cut in. "That's when we could all meet up!"

"I'll be back soon," Up said as he walked to Taz's chair. "She needs to go for a walk before going to sleep."

"I'll do it," Mega-Girl answered as she gently woke Taz up and helped her to the walker. February broke the silence of the shuffling. "Since Krayonder and I will be living together, it will be easier for us to have these meals."

"February, I never said that you could move in," Krayonder said, "but if you're not going to shut up about it… Fine."

"Yay!" February hugged Krayonder. "It will be like old times, all of us on 15-A2 together."

"Well, almost all of us," Krayonder said quietly, and the three remembered Bug, Tootsie, and Specs. Up couldn't believe how much time had passed since their adventure on Bug Planet. One of his granddaughters showed him that they were in her school textbook. A little paragraph about their daring deeds. There had been book deals, interviews, even a movie about what occurred, but none captured the spirit. They each had their own story of what happened, none being the same. Bug and his temporary transformation; February proved that she wasn't an idiot; Krayonder and Specs hooked up for the first time; Mega-Girl had learned to love; Tootsie, well, he taught Mega-Girl to love, something that no robot had done before; and Up had become his old self. Taz's adventure was a mystery though. Out of the group, she had refused the book deal. Up regretted not getting her to record her story. Now he'd never know what she was thinking.

Mega-Girl came back and they talked of old times. Their sight and hearing wasn't what it once was, but the laughter was the same. They talked of Academy days, the battles, the weddings, the drunken nights, the kids and grandchildren. Up didn't want the afternoon to end. His days were usually silent.

The time came when his friends had to leave. February hugged Up goodbye, and Krayonder shook his hand, while Mega-Girl reminded Up that she would be back within the week to clean. Up waved them goodbye, sat back down in the kitchen, and turned on the radio. The man talking was saying that it was perfectly alright for someone to divorce their spouse if they had Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Up felt his blood curdle, his hands tightening into fists. He turned the radio off in anger, knowing that he would smash it if he listened anymore. The nerve of that man, he would never know the truth. On his wedding day, Up took an oath to Taz. He told her that he would love her for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health; from that day forward until death eventually pulled them apart. He wasn't about to give up on that promise.

Up walked into the living room. Like always, Taz was asleep with Sprinkles by her side. He sat by her side and held her hand. He looked at it, how it was still perfect despite the wrinkles. Minutes passed, and when Up looked at Taz again, her eyes were open and studying him. A smile broke out on her face, and she squeezed his hand.

So what if Taz's mind traveled in a different galaxy on most days? She still had a soul, and her heart still beat a steady tune. They still loved each other, and if this is what their life was meant to be, Up wouldn't change a thing.

_Taz, que falleció hace años_: Taz, he passed away years ago

_Él está muerto desde hace años_: He's been dead for years


End file.
